Page 159 of To Scale the Emerald Mountain

I barely pluck my thread of power.

Magic courses through me with golden-green fire, vines of electric light sprouting and running through the ground. The glittering connection releases from me with a thunderous boom. A resonating shockwave vibrates the air and sends ripples through my chest.

The building dissolves to miniscule particles with a ring of gold-green fire, a fierce wind ruffling my hair in the aftermath.

Turning back to Nana and Alec, I expect them to match my beaming pride. I fall short when I notice Alec’s full mouth curved down deep, and Nana’s features are pinched with concern.

“What’s wrong?” I ask in alarm. Their eyes meet, glancing at each other nervously for a moment and something hot bubbles in my gut. “Don’t you fucking dare think about keeping more secrets from me!” I yell at them, pointing an accusing finger.

Alec sighs, running his hands through his hair. “I am not trying to keep secrets from you. I believe the emerald is now nothing more than that—an emerald. I believe its power solely lives within you. I have been trying to channel the power with your staff in myhand, emerald to the ground, just the way you had when its power transferred to you. I feel nothing.”

“Well, that’s good, right? That means even if someone takes it from me, or I lost it somehow, I still hold its power?” My eyes dart between the two of them as worry continues to etch the lines of their faces.

Alec walks to me and rubs a large hand soothingly down my arm. “Yes, while that is a positive aspect, it is concerning for what it means in the grand scheme of things.”

“Meaning?” I demand impatiently.

Alec sighs, rubbing his head again while he looks away from me momentarily. “If only you can wield the power of the emerald, should we not now assume that the power of all the gems will only go to you?”

“What, you think I’m some kind of ‘chosen one’ now?” I scoff, my eyes darting between the two of them.

“Given your visions, and the way you fully absorbed the power, it would seem so,” Nana answers.

“I don’t see why that’s a bad thing. We were planning on trying to find the rest anyway,” I say.

Biting my lip, I consider what the purpose of my holding all this unheard-of power could be. The new vibration and energy I’ve felt while using my amplified currents feelsgood. It’s invigorating and gives me a sense of life I’ve never known. The new, dominating power swims within me, turning happy circles in my gut—eager to shine. That power calls for me to delve into its depths, to open the tap and let it flow as freely as wine from a barrel.

And that’s only the power of one gem. The prospect of what still waits for me no longer feels like a crushing responsibility, but a doorway to possibilities I know now that I want.

“Right,” I drawl when Alec and Nana remain silent. I take my staff back from Alec. “Even if I don’t have to hold the gem to use its power, it will be convenient to not have to crouch down in order to channel.” Striding quickly back to my original practice spot, I choose another building.

Alec is beside me in a second, turning me to face him. “Speak to me.”

“What do you mean?”

His brows knit. “You are very calm in the face of impossible responsibility. Why?”

“I’m not wasting anymore time,” my tone is clipped when I look towards my targets with more determination.

But Alec turns me again, rougher this time, his trepidation demanding my attention. “Ellya.” His tone is stern.

I try to shake my arm free, but he holds firm.

“What?” I throw back at him.

Alec grips my arm tighter, but not uncomfortably, his touch conveying his desperation that he tries to hide. “I do not believe that this is not some facade reaction before you retreat into yourself again.”

Yanking myself free, I give him a sour scowl. “How dare you? After everything I shared with you and holding up my promise to—“

Alec interrupts, his eyes cutting into me harshly. “You are not scared or angry that choices may have been made for you that you do not get a say in?”

“Are you saying that you’re angry for being shackled to me through this?” I snarl.

Alec’s eyes turn steely, moving a step closer to look down on me. “Even if given the choice, I would always choose you.”

We stare off for several breaths before I recall the insult I threw at him, trying to push him away. My frustration instantly melts. My face softens, and I take his hand in mine before putting it over my heart. “I would still choose you, too.”

Alec loosens a breath, squeezing my hand in his. “Promise me. Promise me that you will never try to push me away again.”